Acetylene-gas generator



1. D. LUTTRELL.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION -FILED FEB. I9. 19|9.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920:. f

JOHN D. LUTTEELL, GF BENTGN HAR-BGB, lffl' ll-IGE'; ASSGNGB TO SERVICE CARBIDE ACETYLENE-GAS Application liled February 19, 1919.

To mit wlw/'ft 25 may conce/m lle it known that I, Jorrit D. LU'r'rrnLL, citizen of the United States, residing at Benton Trl-arbor, in the county orn Berrien and citate o ll/lichigan, have invented certain nenv and useful improvements in acetylene- (as Generators; and l do hereby declare he following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

rl`his invention relates to improvements in acetylene gas generators and more particularly totha.'y type ci acetylene gas generators `which are embodied in portable lamps for tue use oi? miners and elsev-.fhere Where devices of this character are usually employed.

rl"he invention has Jfor its particular object to provide a generator oi? this character' which will generate gas a uniform rate sulhcient to supply a burner of predetermined consumption with a uniform quantity and pressure ot gas and which Will not Waste such gas.

ri iurther object oi the invention is to provide a gas generator' et the character aforesaid which is very imple and cheap in construction, easily controllable and Which may be discontinued lfrom operation at will in very simple manner.

The invention consists in the jr'eatures of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings illustrating a suitable embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a viev.' in side elevation of a portable gas generator or lamp constructed in accordance With the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 8 is a plan section of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. d is a fragmentary detail perspective vievv partly in section showing the plunger carrying the lamp Wick or moisture feeding` device.

Referring` now to said drawings, l indicates the cylindrical housing or casing of the lamp. This may be made oi any ordinary tubular element which is provided at one end With an integral head 2 provided Wit1 n a boss 3 adapted to contain burner tip 4E. Said casinoy is o en at its other end and ma D be suitably sealed, as for example by means Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Serial lo. 277,99l.

plug` l'v'vithin the housingthere is contained a removable receptacle 6 for Water which is preferably equipped with a having an aperture therein ecreof and into which a tubular eleand suitably secured by sollilze. vfiounted to slide or rcsaid tubular element 8 is a its upper end in a plug il) ci iherding material, preferably cork. About the rod 9 there is Wound and suitably secured a Wiel: ll preferably oi the ordinary type used in lamps, said wichr being adapted to be Withdrawn `from and ins rted into the bottoni ci' the receptacle 6 by means of the rod 9 and the crit-ent ot its projection trom the receptacle G being determined by the )osition of the rod 9 with reference to the element 8. Said Wick snugly lits 8 so as to prevent free iiow of Water f n vwhen the recep acle -5 is inverted. `aoie G is adapted to contain nico. is fed by capillary attraction to ".intain the exposed portion of the Wick ll projecting from or above the tubular element continuously moist.

libe recept 6 is preferably substanone-tt e length oi: the casing l.

r is adapted to be inverted after lnb' 5 and receptacle G have been removed therei'rom and a quantity of calcium carl'id introduced into the same to lill it about one-third of its total capacit rhereupon, the reafeptecle G with the Wick ll and the rod 9 proiecting there1 Ln a prede- V into the re- Liined distance. is inserted ln and the plug 5 ther lafter inserted.

l is than turned to its normal position whereupon the lumps of carbid Aained in the casing l will be brought e or Less in Contact With the moist Wick erating .Oas which Will speedily ssure Within said casing l and :e dischanj fl t`rom the oriice of the burner ..1 the carbid is decomposed the calcio lo will drop down upon the top ot the le G and fresh carbid Will be auto- 'ifally brought into contact With the Wick o eby coi yinning the generation of gas. practice it nas been found that such genl.tion will proceed at a very uniform rate and Will be governed as to volume by the length of area of the Wiclr 1l protruding from the mouth of the tubular element 8. Such generation Will continue practically uniformlyy so long as any undecomposed carbid remains in the casing l. The rate of gas generation can be readily regulated by increasing or decreasing the extent of projection of the Wick l1 from the tubular element 8 and such generation may be caused to entirely discontinue by removing the receptacle 6 from the casing and inserting the rod 9 and Wick 11 into the same until the plug l0 seals the mouth of the tube S. The receptacle and plug may then be reinserted into the casing l whereupon no further gas generation due to feeding of moisture from the receptacle 6 will occur. Some further generation may result from moisture which has been absorbed by the calcic residue of the decomposed carbid, but as soon as such moisture has been substantially exhausted all generation of gas will cease.

ln practice it is found that by means of this apparatus all of the carbid is decomposed at a uniform rate and that the calcic residue is reduced to substantially a relatively dry poWder in place of a Wet mass which is difficult of removal. The calcio residue is readily removed by means of any ordinary instrument such as a stick serving to loosen it from adhesion with the Walls of the casingl.

While have shown the preferred embodiment of thn invention in the accompanying drawings, it Will be obvious, of course, that changes in details of construction may be effected Without disturbing the relative arrangement of the parts or in any Way affecting the mode of operation above set forth and Without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The casing l may be equipped With a het l2 as shown in Fig. l or with any other suitable means for suspending the same from a support for rendering it convenient to handle.

I claim as my invention:

l. An acetylene generator comprising a housing adapted to contain carbid and hav ing a gas discharge orifice, a container for Water in the bottom Yof said receptacle, a reciprocable element mounted in the top of said Water receptacle andadapted to be projected therefrom, a lamp Wick or the like mounted on said reciprocable member and adapted to be kept moist by capillary attraction, the carbid adapted to contact With the projecting portion offsaid Wick for generating gas and means on said reciprocable element for sealing the Water-chamber to prevent feed Vof Water to the carbid chamber.

2. An acetylene generator comprising a housing adapted to contain carbid and having a gas discharge orifice, a container for Water in the bottom of said receptacle, a tube mounted in the top of the Water chamber adjacent to its peripheral edge, a rod covered with an absorbent fabric reciprocably mounted in said tube and adapted to be projected therefrom varying distances into the mass of carbid contained in said casing for feeding Water to the carbid in contact with the absorbent fabric to generate gas. v

3. fin acetylene generator comprising a housing adapted to contain carbid and having a gas discharge orifice, a container for Water in the bottom of said receptacle, a tube mounted in the top of the Water chainber adjacent to its peripheral edge, a rod covered With an absorbent fabric reciprocably mounted in said tube and adapted to be projected therefromk varying distances into the mass of carbid contained in said casing for feeding Water to the carbid in Contact With the absorbent fabric to genw erate gas and a plug for sealing the tube mounted on the outer end of said rod.

JOHN D. LUTTRELL. 

